Swimming

Ancient Greeks and Romans considered swimming an essential part of a person's training together with military training. Ancient Greeks occasionally organized swimming contests and ancient Romans built swimming pools in addition to public baths. The Emperors of Japan even issued rescripts which made swimming a compulsory part of school curriculum.

A relief which is on display at the British Museum in London testifies to the fact that ancient Uyghur Turks were also swimmers. There are also documents discovered which prove that Assyrians and Babylonians engaged in swimming as a sport. An Assyrian relief which is believed to date back to the 8th century B.C. depicts Assyrian soldiers swimming across a river in order to escape from enemy arrows. And during the Ottoman period, wooden seawater bath houses constructed along the shores of big cities such as Istanbul and Izmir played an important role in popularizing swimming among the populace. The foundations of swimming as a sport in Turkey were laid in the Galatasaray High School in 1873. Physical education teacher Monsieur Moiroux who arrived in Istanbul but was from France was also an accomplished swimmer and taught his students how to swim.

In competitive swimming, four major styles have been established:

Butterfly

Backstroke

Breaststroke

Crawl (Freestyle)

Backstroke is the only swimming style which his swum on the back. The other styles are swum on the breast, or belly. These four styles differ from each other in terms of the body's position, foot movements, sweep of arms, position of head, breathing and coordination.

Butterfly

In butterfly, the body is leaned forward and is almost horizontal. The butterfly kick has been inspired by the movement of dolphins and also known as the "dolphin kick". The dolphin kick consists of synchronous arm movement with a synchronous leg kick.

Backstroke

Swum on the back, backstroke is an alternating motion of the arms with a flutter kick. The arms alternate so that always one arm is underwater while the other arm is recovering.

Breaststroke

Breaststroke is the slowest of the four official styles. Leaning on the chest increases the friction and thus reduces speed. In breaststroke, arms can only leave water partially and legs must remain in water all the time.

Crawl

This style is also known as freestyle swimming. Because, in freestyle, swimmers are allowed to swim in any style they like or in any position they chose. In crawl, arms are moved in coordination similar to backstroke style.

Swimming is not only done in order to have fun, maintain health or to compete but also done for treatment and rehabilitation purposes.

WHY SWIMMING? WHY SPOR A.Ş.?

First and foremost, the staff employed at the sports facilities take into account the needs of the athletes.

The sports facilities where you can practice swimming are easily accessible.

The swimming pools in our facilities are always open to innovation.

With its 13 swimming pools, five Olympic and eight semi-Olympic, SPOR A.Ş. is the largest sports company in Turkey.

Our swimming instructors are alumni of various Physical Education and Sports Academies and hold certificates of training and competence.

We both offer recreational and instructional swimming opportunities to our members. And training programs take into account the age and level of experience of our members.

All our swimming pools are open to everybody who are older than four years of age.

Those who want to enjoy swimming can benefit from our swimming pools between 08:00 and 18:00 during weekdays free of charge as part of the Towards Healthier Generations Through Sports Project. Our members can use our swimming pools between 18:00 and 22:00 during weekdays and between 08:00 and 22:00 during the weekends.

Our swimming pools are disinfected with ozone technology. The ozone system helps prevent skin and hair damage. Our swimming pools which are filled with water, which is odorless, transparent and rich in oxygen; providing our members with the opportunity to swim in healthy conditions.

Our swimming pools are open to all our disabled citizens who are capable of self-care.

The instructors who teach swimming at the facilities are specifically picked to serve as examples to new athletes with their sportsmanship qualities.

Swimming instructors approach their students not as clients but as athletes. Each instructor prioritizes the training he or she provides.

In addition to their present role as teachers of swimming, the instructors supplement their practical training with theoretical studies at academic institutions.